# 2.7. First-Time Setup

CouchDB 2.0 can be used in a single-node or clustered configuration. Below are the first-time setup steps required for each of these configurations.

## 2.7.1. Single Node Setup

A single node CouchDB 2.0 installation is what most users will be using. It is roughly equivalent to the CouchDB 1.x-series. Note that a single-node setup obviously doesn’t take any advantage of the new scaling and fault-tolerance features in CouchDB 2.0.

After installation and initial startup, visit Fauxton at `http://127.0.0.1:5984/_utils#setup`. You will be asked to set up CouchDB as a single-node instance or set up a cluster. When you click “Single-Node-Setup”, you will get asked for an admin username and password. Choose them well and remember them. You can also bind CouchDB to a public address, so it is accessible within your LAN or the public, if you are doing this on a public VM. Or, you can keep the installation private by binding only to 127.0.0.1 (localhost). The wizard then configures your admin username and password and creates the three system databases `_users`, `_replicator` and `_global_changes` for you.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to use the “Single-Node-Setup” wizard and run 2.0 as a single node with admin username and password already configured, make sure to create the three three system databases manually on startup:

    curl -X PUT http://127.0.0.1:5984/_users

    curl -X PUT http://127.0.0.1:5984/_replicator

    curl -X PUT http://127.0.0.1:5984/_global_changes

Note that the last of these is not necessary if you do not expect to be using the global changes feed. Feel free to delete this database if you have created it, it has grown in size, and you do not need the function (and do not wish to waste system resources on compacting it regularly.)

See the next section for the cluster setup instructions.

## 2.7.2. Cluster Setup

As configuration has many steps, see the Cluster Reference Setup for full details.